This week, I am thrilled to be joined by the one and only Damian Kristof, nutritionist, co-founder of The Wellness Couch (and the fabulous Wellness Guys podcast), chiropractor, speaker, naturopath and founder of Forage Cereal.

I am so inspired by the path Damian has carved out for himself and aspire to follow in his footsteps, thus it was such an honour to have him on the show!

Damian has over 20 years of experience and an in-depth knowledge of the body, nervous system, food functions and responses, which makes me super excited. What Damian does so well is focusing on food as the key to unlocking optimal health and wellness, presenting this information in a digestible (excuse the pun) and easily understandable way.

We had lot of fun on this episode discussing some of our favourite (and common) interests, including trends in the way we eat, being on purpose, "experts" in the wellness industry, philosophies of eating and nutrition and so much more.

The message both of us kept coming back to is nurture and nourish yourself optimally by EATING REAL FOOD!

You can find Damian's main page at damiankristof.com - Be sure to also check out his two top-ranking wellness podcasts (The Wellness Guys and 100 Not Out) on iTunes. Follow Damian on social media: Facebook (@damiankristofpage) and Instagram (@damiankristof).

Want to know more about me (Mel) and what I do?

Head to the main page, mgherbs.com and join the MG Herbs mailing list to stay in touch.

A vegetable only cafe, almost exclusively locally sourced with a casual, homely vibe, situated in Hamilton, Newcastle (Australia).

The intention for the customer is to interact with the staff to find out what is on offer (there are no menus), making the experience one of connection and discovery.

Ben talks us through the journey of the business, evolving out of a traditional style cafe into a completely unique and one-of-a-kind dining experience, how him and his team followed their passion when creating this new offering, the juggle of balancing healthy filling vegetarian meals, process of creating fermented foods in house, use of "weeds" as salad fuel and so much more.

We cover sustainable food practices, eating mindfully, building relationships with your food providers, the mediterranean diet and "nose to tail" eating and ethical meat and seafood consumption, all of which I am passionate about and enjoy educating my clients about in practice.

If you are in or around the Newcastle area, be sure to head in and check out Ben's cafe, Apothecary Kitchen in Tudor Street Hamilton.

Join us for an insightful chat about the importance of prioritising your own health and wellness as part of your fitness regime and finding a type of exercise that you love!

Plus Greg shares his journey from being unhealthy, unfit and overweight to becoming healthier before then burning out, to finally making the shift to a balanced, well life (with help and support of herbs/supplements from me!).

We talk about the benefits of making small, sustainable health changes over time, myths of the ketogenic diet, including instead of excluding foods, finding the most suitable (and enjoyable) type of exercise for you and your body and sports "nutrition".

Most of us simply need to change the ratios and quality of our eating and we would all thrive!

This episode is all about listening to YOUR body...Are you struggling with this?

Then join our Not Just Another Detox program!

Two weeks of online support and practical tools to start and continue on this journey. No magic pills, potions or powders. Instead you will learn how to detox your life and body naturally. This is one of the most effective ways to shed excess fat and start to make long term sustainable changes.

Cindra (aka Holistic Health Honey) joins me again on the podcast this week to chat about WHY we all need to take regular breaks (holidays, vacations, retreats!), fears you may have around committing to taking a break and WHY we'd love to have you at our upcoming retreat, MAKE THE SHIFT!

We discuss our experiences with taking breaks and how we have both prioritised these in our busy entrepreneurial lives, because we know (and have felt) how important forced time out is.

No matter what your role in life is (mother, carer, employee, employer...) we are all WORTHY of taking time out and giving back to ourselves. We need to look after ourselves first so we can then care for others (one of the concepts we will cover at MAKE THE SHIFT).

For those of you that know me, I do love my meat (organic, ethically and sustainably sourced of course)!

But, I do get many questions about being vegetarian and vegan, and how clients can sustain this in a healthy way.

I brought in a plant based expert to chat about sustaining a healthy lifestyle. Holistic Health Honey (aka Cindra Banks) is a holistic health coach and yoga teacher, who is passionate about eating whole foods and living an ethical and sustainable lifestyle.

This was such a comprehensive chat, as we look at different aspects of living mindfully, talking about sustainability in the food industry, being environmentally respectful, listening to your body, diet shaming and so much more.

Book a holistic health consult or private yoga session with Cindra by emailing: cindra@mgherbs.com or find more about her at: mgherbs.com/meetus

A fascinating chat with Cheree Sheldon, a fellow naturopath and passionate nutritionist.

Get an insider glimpse into the life of a natural health entrepreneur and hear about some of the most common conditions we come across in our work.

We discuss in depth about how powerful food is in healing the body, how natural medicine can work alongside pharmaceuticals and how getting kids involved in healthy eating is the best way to begin a wellness ripple effect.

You can find Cheree on Facebook @ChereeSheldonNutrition or head over to read some of her great blogs at chereesheldon.com

The opinions of soy in the wellness industry are divided and often controversial!

It can be hard to separate the facts about soy from the huge amount of hype surrounding it.

In this podcast, Mel will break down the research for you, from what soy actually is, to what types of soy to eat and what types to avoid and deciphering some of the soy myths that are being perpetuated in the media.

To purchase the informative What's With Wheat documentary by Cyndi O'Meara (from Changing Habits) which was mentioned in the podcast, head to:

Food as medicine is a concept that is very trendy at the moment but is essentially as old as time itself. We ate to stay alive. Correction-we still eat to stay alive. Listen in and learn something new about what is really old.

Hi I’m Mel. I am a herbalist at heart, a foodie and a naturopath. I work with people every day to teach them ideas that humans have had well before I was born or even had my first healthy thought (or unhealthy thought!). This first podcast is all about you getting to know me, my take on food as medicine and what I practice and preach. If your picking up what I’m putting down listen on, get some free advice and maybe we are soon to be health soul mates.